I am not a history fan, but something about the description of this book in the "Common Reader" catalog persuaded me to order it. I was pleasantly surprised by this reconstruction, describing the Black Hole of Calcutta and its inhabitants. One can feel the searing heat and humidity and experience the violent battles that occurred. As the author says, he took some liberties to spice up an otherwise dry historical account - and he did an excellent job. It was a compelling read, and being as close to history as it was, amazed me. The Black Hole of Calcutta is a page-turner filled with a rich cast of characters and an insight into India under British rule. When I was finished reading, I held it in my hands for a while longer thinking "what a good book this was." I'm going to release it soon.

Well, I should have known better than to release a book inside an engineering firm :-(

I'll have to try again with more books, different places!